FREENOW X MATT & PHRED’S PRESENTS: ARUN GHOSH, with support from Kapil Seshasayee

PART OF MANCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL

Sunday 21st May 2023
Doors: 7pm
Happy Hour: 7-8pm
Kapil Seshasayee: 7:15pm
Arun Ghosh: 8-10pm
£3 Entry

Table bookings:
- Latest arrival time: 7:45pm

To book a table, call:
- 0161 273 5495, 10am-5pm Monday-Friday
- 0161 831 7002, after 5pm Monday-Saturday
- Or leave a message outside of these times and we’ll get back to you.

Arun Ghosh is a British-Asian clarinettist, composer and bandleader.

A charismatic and communicative performer, and a leading light in British jazz, Arun and his band deliver a passionate sound driven by soaring melodies, hypnotic rhythms and transcendental textures.

Arun grew up in Bolton, and cut his teeth within Manchester’s vibrant jazz scene. Since then he has released five acclaimed albums, and toured nationally and internationally.

His most recent album, Seclused in Light was composed and recorded during lockdown isolation, and under the shadow of grief; but it was released and toured in March 2022, as an emotional return to live music, and a celebration of life, emergence and togetherness.

Twice awarded Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, Arun’s musical style takes a multi-era / multi-genre approach; where numerous strands of jazz join forces with a myriad of musical influences: from jungle to punk, blues to Bollywood...and beyond.

This open-eared aesthetic and musical philosophy, and his bringing together of South-Asian raags (melodies) and taals (rhythms) with jazz culture and instrumentation, has led him to be considered a renowned innovator of modern IndoJazz.

Arun is overjoyed to return to perform as part of Manchester Jazz Festival in this special, homecoming show at Matt & Phred’s.

Line Up:
Arun Ghosh - clarinet
Chris Williams - alto sax
Moss Freed - guitar
Ruth Goller - bass
Dave Walsh - drums

In collaboration with:
facebook.com/FreeNowMobility
instagram.com/freenow.uk
&
facebook.com/musicvenuetrust
instagram.com/musicvenuetrust

Kapil Seshasayee is a protest musician whose work fuses R&B, Indian classical and jazz fusion with contemporary electronic genres like hyperpop. Singles released from his new LP “Laal” have featured at Rolling Stone India, BBC Radio4, Bandcamp, The Quietus, The Hindu, BBC Radio6 Music, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Asian Network.

"Laal" is a concept album about the influence of Bollywood and Indian cinema - platforming conversations around censorship, nationalism and caste which aren’t discussed often in mainstream media circles. Kapil also hopes to celebrate unsung heroes of the Indian film industry with singles from the album such as the director of queer film “The Pink Mirror” - Sridhar Rangayan.

Kapil has showcased songs from "Laal" across SXSW, South Asian festival Dialled in, Latitude Festival, The Roundhouse and venues such as the Concorde 2 in Brighton & The Roundhouse alongside artists such as Tinariwen, Talvin Singh and Sarathy Korwar. Highly sought after for session work due to his idiosyncratic guitar playing - Kapil has amassed a number of high profile collaborations and commissions including a rework of a Ravi Shankar composition to commemorate his 100th birthday for BBC Asian Network, a collaborative single with rap legend LIL B and an interpretation of songs by Scottish legend Ivor Cutler for a performance in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall alongside members of Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian.